Sun, Oct 4, 2020
Did you know there are more ways to shuffle a deck of cards than there are atoms in the universe? Seems crazy, but it's true. Today The Why Files covers amazing math facts (and tricks) that will convince your friends you have super powers. Math is everywhere. It's the source code of the universe. Most of the time math makes perfect sense. But sometimes math just gets.... weird. These math facts that will blow your mind. You'll learn about the Birthday Paradox, secrets of Pi, how to create numeric palindromes with your mind, and our favorite: the mysteries of the number nine. How many people do you need to get together before you find two that have the same birthday? Here's a hint: not that many. How quickly can you calculate 1,111,111 squared? We'll show you how to solve this in 5 seconds. You won't believe the answer when you see it. And nines? Nines have a whole thing going on. Multiplying by nines = magic. Squaring nines = pure sorcery.
Mon, Oct 12, 2020
Top 10 Terrifying Animals that actually exist. Have a high IQ and great sense of humor? You're home. Werewolves, zombies, Chupacabra and Bigfoot (bigfeet?) aren't real (or are they) but there actually is a very real and common lizard that squirts poisonous blood from its eye sockets. (We'll show you this!) Through the amazing and bizarre process of evolution - nature has created thousands of truly terrifying animals that actually exist. They exist right now. A couple of them might be living in your garage. Today we cover ten animals that we thought were scary, interesting or just plain ole amusing. You'll get amazing facts, interesting facts. The top 5 will blow your mind. We've got the Human Botfly which lays its eggs in human flesh. The Star-Nosed Mole, the Giant Isopod, the Giant Centipede and the largest spider on Earth: The GOLIATH BIRDEATER TARANTULA (shiver). How about the Hairy Horror Frog who has the same super powers as Wolverine from the X-Men? The Giant Isopod (aka terror cockroach of the sea), the Goblin Shark and a snake that looks like, well, you'll have to judge for yourself. Be warned. Some parts of this video are graphic. We did our best to keep the "spider eating" to a minimum (though we link to more graphic content below). And, of course, Hecklefish weighs in with his inappropriate commentary and inexplicable disdain for Canadians (a people I adore, BTW). We had fun making this video. If you had fun watching, we'd love to earn your subscription.
Wed, Oct 21, 2020
The Top10 Scariest Places You Can Actually Visit. Do you love scary places, haunted houses, abandoned mines and ghost towns? Have you ever noticed that every list for "Scariest Places in the World" or "Creepiest Locations in the US" contain places that you can't really visit? We're going to fix that. Here are the top 10 spookiest places in the United States that you can actually visit -- right now, today. If you're on the East coast, West coast or in the middle of the country, we've found a ghostly, haunted location that you can check out right now -- if you dare. Whether you're a serious paranormal investigator or just enjoy the darker side of history, this video has something for you.
Mon, Oct 26, 2020
What is ASMR? How does ASMR work? What does ASMR stand for? Are you "ASMR sensitive"? Do you get ASMR tingles? Is this the first time you've heard of ASMR which stands for "Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response"? It might not mean what you think it means. Millions of people experience ASMR "tingles" when exposed to certain stimuli. The Why Files answers these questions and raises a few more. The science behind behind ASMR is still new but research is underway. Though ASMR is a relatively new phenomenon, the online ASMR community is vibrant and growing rapidly.
Wed, Nov 4, 2020
Don't look up. It's a rain of terror. We've all heard stories about raining frogs and fish. They're not new. Homer, Pliny the Elder, even the Bible document the raining of frogs and fish. As they said in Magnolia "it really happened". But what about raining spiders? It happened -- recently. In Australia, millions of baby spiders rained down, covering the entire countryside with silky webs. In Brazil, spider rain wasn't really rain -- but it was still terrifying. Raining blood? Well, it didn't really rain blood, except that one team -- The Kentucky Meat Storm -- when it did. Yes, the Kentucky Meat Storm. Raining snakes? It happened (though not exactly how most YouTube lists document). Raining worms? Oh yes. Even in the snowy mountains of Scandinavia -- in March. In June 2009, the entire country of Japan was covered in tadpoles. They were first spotted in Ishikawa, on the West coast of Japan but dead tadpoles were reported in towns and cities everywhere. Did you know the famous 1958 horror movie "The Blob" is based on actual events? In 1950, Pennsylvania police officers documented an eye witness account of "star jelly", a gelatinous substance that either contains or does not contain DNA, depending on who you ask. A rain of animals is a rare meteorological phenomenon in which flightless animals fall from the sky. Such occurrences have been reported in many countries throughout history. Is the phenomenon due to waterspouts? Predatory birds? Or something... else? Let's find out why.
Mon, Nov 16, 2020
Why doesn't the United States use the Metric System? Answer: Pirates. When the US was still brand new, the states were using their own systems of weights and measures. A pound in New York could weigh less than a pound in Virginia. Interstate commerce was difficult. This was such a major problem that in 1790, President George Washington said in his first State of the Union address that "uniformity in the currency, weights and measures of the United States is an object of great importance." Secretary of State at the time was Thomas Jefferson who liked a new "decimal based" system being used in France. This "metric system" would make all measurements would be divisible by 10: an inch a tenth of a foot, etc. Jefferson invited French scientist Joseph Dombey to the US in 1793 to preview "a small metallic cylinder with what looked like a handle on top. This was the official 'kilogram,' and weighed one kilogram." This copper object was called a "grave". Jefferson planned to use it to demonstrate the metric system to Congress, to the states, to the citizenry and, hopefully, convert the entire system of the United States to metric. Dombey never made it to America. Dombey's ship hit a storm and was blown South toward the Caribbean. Who was lurking in the waters in the 18th century Caribbean? Pirates. That's who. Technically, they were British privateers charged with harassing American shipping lanes. The swashbucklers captured Dombey and imprisoned him hoping to score a ransom. Instead, Dombey died in prison. The official metric objects didn't arrive, and the US moved on, instead embracing the current system: the "United States Customary" system which is based on the British Imperial system. Technically and officially, America is indeed a metric country, but colloquially US Customary is still widely used in the States. Let's find out why.
Wed, Dec 9, 2020
The Most Secret Places in the World - And the wild theories about what really happens inside. In the modern world, places are supposed to be accessible. People move freely around the country they live in and even between countries. However, the most interesting, fascinating and mysterious locations in the world, even today, are strictly off limits to just about everyone. Most of the places on this list are only accessible to those with the proper clearances, but some are not accessible to anyone at all. Regardless of the status of the places on this list, if you're searching for them, you absolutely do not have the proper access to visit them. The tantalizing status of the unknown and the secret makes these spots remarkable. You probably have your own theories about what goes on at some of these locations. If you don't, we'll provide some. You may not have ever heard of a few of these places. In fact, there are government facilities in the United States -- and around the world -- that are unknown to people even in the highest levels of government. Let's find out why.
Sat, Dec 12, 2020
The Chicxulub Asteroid Impact - The Day the Dinosaurs Died One of the deepest scars on our planet is hidden beneath the Yucatán Peninsula and the Gulf of Mexico. The buried crater, over 90 miles in diameter, was created when a massive asteroid struck the planet 66 million years ago and brought a calamitous end to the reign of dinosaurs. Though dinosaur extinction probably took weeks or months, in just one day, 425 feet of material accumulated where the asteroid hit with the power of 10 billion atomic bombs. The blast ignited trees and plants for thousands of miles -- which were quickly extinguished by mega tsunamis with waves that may have reached as far inland as Illinois. And at the low-end estimate of 10.1 on the Richter scale, the subsequent earthquake would have been more powerful than anything ever measured or experienced by humans. And then things got worse. Let's find out why.
Sat, Dec 19, 2020
The Uncanny Valley Explained - Why Robots, Dolls and Mannequins are Creepy. The Uncanny Valley is a common unsettling, anxious, creepy feeling people experience when androids, robots, dolls, mannequins, video games and animations closely resemble humans but are not quite realistic enough. The phenomenon is a consideration in a number of areas of design including robotics, video game art, training simulators and 3-D animation. Designers work hard to avoid the Uncanny Valley or exploit it to elicit a particular response. The feelings of Uncanny Valley can reach extreme levels like revulsion, exceeding those experienced when viewing a corpse. The Uncanny Valley effect is experienced at different levels by different individuals, depending on the familiarity of the subject materials. Designers can bridge the valley with changes like the addition of cartoon-like or "cuter" features Still, all humans are susceptible to Uncanny Valley. You are, too. Let's find out why.
Mon, Dec 28, 2020
Nanorobotics and Nanotechnology - Big Changes in Small Science Explained. Nanorobotics is the technology of creating machines or robots at or close to the scale of a nanometer - 1 billionth of a meter. More specifically, nanorobotics refers to the still largely theoretical nanotechnology engineering discipline of designing and building nanorobots. These aren't the fictional nanobots of Iron Man or Rick and Morty. A nanorobot, or nanobot, is a popular term for molecules engineered with a unique property that enables them to be programmed to carry out a specific task within the human body. Medical nanotechnology is a reality and being actively researched and developed. Structural DNA nanotechnology, known as DNA origami, has emerged as a versatile approach to fabricate nanodevices, nanomaterials and nanoparticles with complex nanoscale geometry, functionalities, and programmed mechanical and dynamic properties. Nanorobotics can also revolutionize industry. Nano metamaterials are much stronger than steel -- and much lighter. They can be used for environmental clean up of the Earth's air and water, more efficiently than ever before. Nanotechnology can also allow us to connect our brains directly to the internet. This is something the futurist Ray Kurzweil predicted would occur by 2030. Are you ready to wire your brain into the cloud? With new technologies, comes new dangers. Nanotech innovation is world-changing and should be encouraged. But, we also have to acknowledge the risks. Let's find out why.